This doesn't sound like it has to be an either or. Many people chip away at fastlane endeavors while working in the slowlane. You could look at it in a similar light.
I also think going down the path of being exceptional has crossover - granted you are managing your time and not letting it be all-consuming. With that said, exceptional almost by definition has a comparative factor to it. What if you take that out and decide to just be the best you can be during the time you dedicate to it? It's like going to the gym - I know if I busted my a$$ or not during that one hour session and I know how well or how poor I ate all week. Growth will come accordingly based on that, not whether I was more or less exceptional compared to the guy next to me.
Anyways - I think you can podcast, write a book, and "build a social media following" alongside inventing. I put build a following in quotes because I think everyone wants to do that, but it doesn't really mean anything. I don't remember any of the posts I liked last week, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, or even here on the forum. I don't remember what I liked. I don't even know what pages I follow. Those people's numbers may have went up but in the end it doesn't really mean much. It is self-evident if what you are putting out in the world is providing value or not, and you need not depend on a following to validate it.
Just make sure you are focused on providing value so that you can create your own luck/opportunities.
I also think going down the path of being exceptional has crossover - granted you are managing your time and not letting it be all-consuming. With that said, exceptional almost by definition has a comparative factor to it. What if you take that out and decide to just be the best you can be during the time you dedicate to it? It's like going to the gym - I know if I busted my a$$ or not during that one hour session and I know how well or how poor I ate all week. Growth will come accordingly based on that, not whether I was more or less exceptional compared to the guy next to me.
Anyways - I think you can podcast, write a book, and "build a social media following" alongside inventing. I put build a following in quotes because I think everyone wants to do that, but it doesn't really mean anything. I don't remember any of the posts I liked last week, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, or even here on the forum. I don't remember what I liked. I don't even know what pages I follow. Those people's numbers may have went up but in the end it doesn't really mean much. It is self-evident if what you are putting out in the world is providing value or not, and you need not depend on a following to validate it.
Just make sure you are focused on providing value so that you can create your own luck/opportunities.