In my experience: I worked for a business unit where the "CEO" became distracted with pursuing other opportunities unrelated to our core business. It didn't pan out very well for him. He got canned, all of the people he brought in to chase these ideas lost their jobs, ect.

One thing you didn't really describe is how long you've been in your company, and what you accomplished. Are you a founder? Were you hired as a CEO? How long were you in your position, ect?

If you're a founder, at some point it's expected that you'll leave to start another company. If you replaced the founder, it's expected that you'll drive growth in a defined marketplace.

I think you need to find out what the board expects you to do with the current company, and see if it's a good time to transition your interests.