It seems to be part of the human condition that, if we survived an ordeal through courage, grit and resolve, we are often better for it.
Many boys (and a few girls it seems) got pleasure and satisfaction from a visit to the headmasters office – in retrospect at least. I can recall some very arduous cross country races that were entirely unpleasant, even painful, from start to end but yet were great fun. A young man of my acquaintance lost a leg to cancer at age 20. He now says it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
The danger with challenges of the above type is that, if we fail, we can be totally destroyed by the failure. Beware of confidence courses and rattan canes!