I think there are several ways you can live nowadays. I will try to describe the ways you can possibly live, using persons. In my opinion you can describe every single human being by mixing those ways of living together. I don't think, there is any possibility in which a man or a woman can be described with only one of those ways of living.
The straight forward dude
The straight forward dude I want to describe, does whatever he wants to do immediately and does not think about the future. He basically lives in the here and now. He is very confident in what he does, but does not think about the future in any way.
The adventurer
The adventurer tries to life on the edge of his life - always ready for new risks and challenges. His life motto is "no risk, no fun".
The worker
The worker is the one, who is trying to work and is just living to work harder and harder. He works efficient and knows well and has planned what he wants to do in the future.
The aficionado
The aficionado is the opposite of the worker. He appreciates the little things in life and takes life at a little bit slower pace. He would much rather sacrifice a paid job for hobby, he would enjoy.
What I think is the best way to live nowadays is the following. You need to educate yourself and the get job, get established as good as possible - but nothing dependent - and then live from that point onwards and do whatever you want to do in life. Maybe you can get even a nice and simple job, so you can go after your hobbies, whenever you want to.
However, talking about "the best" in general is never going to be possible. "The best" is relative and depends on the person you talk about.