The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 3 plus 6 letter word STRAIT AND NARROW
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
R
A
I
T
A
N
D
N
A
R
R
O
W
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "the way to a better life" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case the way to a better life = strait and narrow.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.